Ready racks for shells



Feb. 11, 1958 .1. w. BRENNAN ETAL 2,822,730

READY RACKS FOR SHELLS Filed March 21. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 J4 T A? 14 Inventors John W'Bren Feb. '11, 1958 J. w. BRENNAN ETAL 2,822,730

READY RACKS FOR SHELLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2 1, 1955 5 1/9 111 N a 114 112 56 94- y 769 l I x125 7 O9 121 1:12 86 Inventors v I J/m WBrennan /j:' i lac/lard Wflezniels 9 I READY RACKS FOR SHELLS Application March 21, 1955, Serial No. 495,510 3 Claims. (Cl. 89-1) This invention is directed to an improved construction of a rack holding a plurality of rounds of fixed ammunition where the projectiles are held in the ends of cartridge cases. For convenience these rounds are herein referred to as shells.

Inasmuch as such rounds of fixed ammunition are of various types, such as armor-piercing shells, fire-producing projectiles and the like, it is desirable to enable the loader to obtain access to any one of the shells with the least possible disturbance of the others and hence with the least possible delay. This need is especially evident when the rack is to be utilized in a compartment such as the basket of a rotary turret employed in Army tanks, where the free space is very limited.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved rack of this type and, as herein illustrated, the rack is mounted upon a plate corresponding to a wall of such a compartment.

One feature of the invention resides in a two row rack having releasable holders which enable easy access to shells in the inner or back row. I

This and other features of the invention will best be understood from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of such a rack;

Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a plan view on a larger scale of a latch for holding one of the shells of the outer row;

Fig. 4 is a detail showing an angular view of a springretaining button which is applied to holders for the inner row;

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the latch shown in Fig. 3 with a portion broken away;

Fig. 6 is a view looking up at the under side of the same latch;

Fig. 7 is a detail in vertical section on the line VII-VII of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section, enlarged, upon the line VIIIVIII of Fig. 1 through the axis of one of the hinged pivot pins for the swingable holders.

A plate 10, serving as a wall-like member in the rotatable basket (not shown) in a turret, is held by screws 12 to a curved rim (not shown) below an arcuate strip 14. This strip is secured to the body of a turret 18 and serves to support a track permitting rotation of the turret together with a so-called basket or compartment carrying a gun (not shown) to which the rounds 20 of fixed ammunition are to be fed.

For convenience the rounds of ammunition 20 are herein referred to as shells and they are held in substantially upright positions. The rounds comprise cartridge cases 26 and projectiles 28. On the floor of the basket is a bottom plate 22 having cup-like depressions 24 to receive the lower ends of the cartridge cases 26 arranged in inner and outer rows. The depressions of the outer row have been designated as 24A, 24B, 24C and 24D while those of the inner row adjacent to the wall plate have been shaped indented rest 32 which is curved around a larger portion of the circumference of a shell and which has an end portion 34 extending farther away from the wall plate 10 and which assists in holding the shells against tipping to the right. At the left end of this series of rests is a loop-shaped member 36 which does not engage a shell di rectly but which coacts with the inwardly curved side portion 38 of the end one of a series of holders 40.

Each of these holders is in the form of a closed loop which may be formed of a strip of metal and has a narrow flat inner end portion 42.

This inner end portion 42 is slidable upon a pin 44 which is hinged on a pin 48 for vertical swinging movement in a grooved block 46 welded to the wall plate 10. Surrounding the pins 44 are coiled helical expansion springs 50 which are retained on the pins by buttons 52. On the inner face of the narrow end portion 42 of each of the loop-shaped holders there is a cylindrical block 54 through which the pin 44 slides and this block is of such a size that it fits inside the inner end of the spring 50 to keep it recess 60 receives a thin portion 64 at the end of the pin whereas the recess 62 receives a portion of the main body of the pin adjacent to the groove 58. On the inner face of the button 52 is a projection 66 having the same diametc: as the cylinder 54 so that it will enter the spring 50' and be held in position against lateral displacement thereby. When a holder 40 is to be mounted upon a pin 44 it IS only necessary to place a spring over the block 54,

to compress the spring 50 with ones fingers, and to slide a button 52 over the pin 44 as permitted by the radial groove 56 until the thin portion 64 enters the outer recess 60 when the spring is released. The end of the spring will then engage the projection 66 and hold the button in place.

It will be noted from the right side of Fig. 2 that the hinge blocks 46 are attached to the plate 10 in positions which are vertically displaced with respect to the rests 30 and 32 so that the spring for the next to the last holder, when there is no shell in position, will hold its inner end portion 42 up against the under side edges of the adjacent rests 30. If, on the other hand, the hinge block 46 is positioned below the line of the rests as at the extreme right then the corresponding holder 40 may be allowed to hang below this block with its weight balancing the force of the spring as shown in Fig. 2 or it may be turned to upright position (not shown) against the plate 10 with its inner end portion 42 resting against the upper edges of the adjacent rests 30 and 32.

The loop of each of the holders 40 is provided with a recessed end portion 70 to receive a shell 20 forming one of the outer row and that the side portions 33 are inwardly curved or indented to engage the sides of the rounds of the inner row. These portions 38 cover about a third of the circumference of the projectile and two adjacent holders coact with one another and with the recessed rest 30 to hold a round in upright position under the force provided by the expansion of the springs 50.

The shells of the outer row are held in position by Patented Feb. 11, 1958 latches 72 bridging the recessed end portions 70 and extending between the outer ends of projections 74 and 76 which are welded to the spaced portions of a loop which overlaps the adjacent shells of the inner row.

The construction of these latches 72 is best shown in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 7 from which it will be seen that the outer ends 73 of the projections 74 are tilted downwardly and to the left and are provided with hinge pins 78 which lie at an angle such that a released latch 72, which also has a bent portion 80, will drop to a substantially vertical position. These hinge pins 78 are held in position by snap rings 79 (Fig. 6) and 81 (Fig. 3). The portion 80 of the latch 72 has shoulders 82 and 84 which cooperate with a lip 86 upon the down turned end 73 of the projection 74. Springs 90 coiled about the hingepins 78 have outwardly extending ends one of which is hooked over the projection 74 and the other of which passes through a hole 92 in the down turned portion 80 of the latch.

The right end 94 of each of the latches 72 is turned down and slotted to receive the projecting end of a slide 96 having a finger piece 98. This finger piece 98 is welded to a similar piece 100 upon a slide 102 passing through a slot in the down turned end 104 of a bracket 106 which is welded to the under side of the latch 72. Each of the latches 72 has a down turned side lip 108 which is curved lengthwise to approximate the shape of the side wall of a projectile 28 and an inner lip 108 to which there is riveted a pad 110. These lips 108 and 109 form a channel protecting the slides 96 and 102.

The slide portion 102 is notched to receive a coiled spring 112 having an oval coil which at the right abuts a shoulder 114 at the end of a notch in the slide and at its other end abuts the down turned end 104 of the bracket 106. To limit the movement of this slide, a small block 116 is riveted to the under side of the latch 72 and has. a projection 118 in line with the end of the slide 102 which may be seen in Fig. 6-. The right end of the slide 96 is shaped, as shown in Figs. and 6, to provide shoulders 120 to limit its outward movement with respect to the down turned end 94 of the latch and it has a curved end 122 (Fig. 6) to permit it to be cammed in against the force of the spring 112 as the latch is swung into closed position. The end 122 then drops into a slot 124 near the outer end of the extension 76 which, as may be seen from Figs. 3 and 6, is curved outwardly at 126 to facilitate this action.

Assuming the rack to be [fully loaded, it is only'necessary to remove the shell from any one' of the depressions 24B, 24C or 24D of the outer row by releasing its latch 72, in order to be able to turn the corresponding'holder 40 90 upon its supporting pin 44, by pulling it slightly out of contact with the inner shells, in order to make it possible to remove the rounds in the adjacent depressions such as 24E and 24F of the inner row. It will be noted that the outer ends of the widened portions of the holders 40 overlap slightly but that this is rendered unimportant by the vertical staggering of the hinge blocks 46 of the corresponding holders as may be seen in Fig. 2. The removal of a shell from any one of the holders of the outer row requires simply a release of its retaining latch 72 by a finger in engagement with the finger piece 98, 100, thus disengaging the curved end 122 of the slide 96 from the slot 124 in the projection 76 and permitting the latch to be swung out of the way.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device for securing shells in upright positions adjacent to a wall, a series of shell holders spring urged toward the wall, each of said holders comprising narrow inner portions adapted to be interposed between two adjacent shells and a wider outer portion overlapping said shells, and latches each secured to'and extending across an outer portion and spaced therefrom to enable another shell to be removably secured to the outer portion of a holder.

2. In a device for securing shells in upright positions, a wall-like member, a series of pins hinged endwise to the member, outwardly broadened holders slidingly mounted on said pins, and springs urging said holders toward the wall-like member whereby adjacent holders c0- act to hold a shell of an inner row substantially upright against the member, the outer ends of said holders being recessed and having latches extending across the recesses so as each to hold a shell, said latter shells being outside of the inner shells, thereby forming a second row in staggered relation to the first.

3. In a device for securing shells in upright positions adjacent to the wall of a compartment with the pointed ends of the shells extending upwardly, a plate for attachment to said wall, indented rests on the plate positioned transversely of the wall, hinged pins attached to said plate between adjacent rests, holders slidable on said pins and urged inwardly by springs surrounding the pins, said holders being provided with lateral indentations to enact with one another to grip a shell against a rest, and releasable clamps upon the free ends of the holders to retain individual shells on the holders.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,816,334 Matthews July 28, 1931 2,432,802 Reynolds Dec. 16, 1947 2,766,660 Laddon et a1. Oct. 16, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 477,864 France Aug. 16, 1915 

